Archive for the category “Nutrition”

First of all, anyone who follows this blog regularly will realize that this is one of only about two seafood posts here. It’s no secret I’m not a big fish eater, so when Bumble Bee® offered to send me samples of their new Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ frozen seafood line, I was hesitant. But I took it on, because one, I love to try new things and I’m trying to branch out into the world of (so insanely good-for-you) fish, and two, because it was another review opportunity, and a chance to mix up my blog content.

Anyway, Bumble Bee® makes six different types of seafood recipes for their new line: Tilapia with Lemon, Pepper and Herbs; Tilapia with Garlic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Spicy Shrimp Romesco; Lemon Shrimp with Garlic and Herbs; Salmon with Garlicky Black Pepper and Extra Virgin Olive Oil; and, the one I sampled, Salmon with Garden Pesto. I’m a sucker for pesto, this is not news, so I had to give this one a shot. I’ve never been a salmon fan, though, unless it’s smoked. (What? I’m a Jersey Jew, lox is in my blood.)

My favorite thing about this line is the ingredient list. Each product contains only a handful of ingredients and absolutely zero preservatives or sketchy chemicals. The ingredients read like recipes you’d make in your own kitchen, frozen into handy packets for your convenience. Thanks to that, the nutrition stats are pretty solid. The ingredient list on the Garden Pesto Salmon, for instance, is: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, basil, Parmesan cheese, almonds, parsley, fresh garlic, black pepper. Each filet (there are two per package) has 230 calories, 11g of fat, 40 mg of cholesterol, 170 mg of sodium and 26g of protein. It also has 0g of sugar, 0g of trans fat and is gluten-free. Convenient, quick and full of natural ingredients…can’t beat that, really.

And these really take very little time to prepare. The salmon takes 20 minutes in a 400-degree oven. The shrimp only takes about 6 minutes on the stove. That’s about as quick and convenient as you can get. And the tilapia and salmon come with their own parchment packets, so there’s virtually no clean up. You just open the sealed packet with the filets, pop each one in its individual parchment, place on a baking sheet and bake. The shrimp has to cook in a pan on the stove, but you’re still only left with a pan and maybe a utensil or two to clean when all is said and done. They come with their own butter and seasoning medallions, so you just cook the shrimp in the pan, add the included seasoning and stir to coat.

So, obviously, the big question now is, “How was it?” Well, to be perfectly honest…I still don’t like salmon. But that doesn’t mean this product was no good. The two filets cooked up perfectly in 20 minutes in the parchment and came out soft, flaky and steaming. The pesto seasoning was absolutely delicious (almost as good as my own, dare I say–and they even use parsley and almonds in their pesto like I do!). I only picked at it because clearly I’m not going to be embracing salmon anytime soon, but Kevin really enjoyed it and nearly finished his. He only stopped because he was full. I served it over red quinoa, but this would be wonderful with rice, greens or tossed into a salad. The texture, color and consistency of the fish seemed dead-on and it didn’t taste frozen or dried out, which is what I so often worry about with frozen entrees. This tasted like someone prepared it in their own kitchen, flash-froze it and shipped it to my door.

I’ll admit, I’ve actually already worked through two of the Bumble Bee SuperFresh™samples I received–I also cooked up the Lemon Shrimp with Garlic and Herbs. While I’m not a big seafood eater, I am a shrimp fan, and these were oh-my-goodness delicious! I ate them on their own because I made them late on a weekend night and Kevin and I split them as more of a small meal/big snack than a full dinner, but these would be amazing tossed in some angel hair or linguini pasta. I’m actually going to be on the lookout for this one in stores so I can buy it again and try that–like a super-quick shrimp scampi. Seriously, though, between the two of us, the dozen or so shrimp were gone in under 10 minutes. I can’t wait to try the Spicy Shrimp Romesco!

Overall, I think Bumble Bee® has a really great product here. It’s a great way to introduce people like me, who don’t know much about preparing or serving seafood, to the world of seafood with completely seasoned and prepared recipes. It’s also great for anyone who needs convenience in their life (don’t we all) but who doesn’t want to sacrifice health or flavor. I’d gladly serve these to others in a heartbeat without feeling embarrassed about serving frozen food at a dinner party. I’m willing to bet that if I served these to someone and didn’t tell them they were pre-made and frozen, they’d never know.

My first bite of salmon

The Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ web site has a “Where to Buy” link (http://bumblebeesuperfresh.com/buy) where you can enter your zip code and find out what stores in your area carry the Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ line. Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ is available throughout the northeast. In my area, all the local Wegmans, ShopRites and Stop n Shops carry them. They retail for between $8.99 and $9.99. Definitely not bad for a seafood dinner for two! I’d definitely buy these again, especially the shrimp, and I’d recommend them to my friends and family who are looking for a quick, non-hassle way to prepare fresh-tasting, flavorful, nutritious seafood dishes.

*Note:This is a sponsored review BumbleBee SuperFresh™ I was provided with samples of the product to try at home and was paid to blog about my experience. However, all opinions, photos and text are my own.

So, remember that whirlwind month I mentioned jumping into the last time I stopped by? Well, it was even MORE of a whirlwind than I could have anticipated. Not only was I rehearsing nearly seven days a week for a production of Spamalot (which went great, by the way!), I was also apartment-hunting, which in and of itself could be a full-time job. The good news? Kevin and I found an apartment (part of a house, really) and we’ve been renting since the first of the month, and we’ve been officially(ish) moved in for a week! (I say “ish” because we’re still missing some basics like a microwave, dishes and a kitchen table. All in due time.)

We did manage to buy a beautiful set of nonstick, oven-safe Cuisinart pots and pans, though. I love them. (I may or may not have hugged the box in Bed, Bath and Beyond. Or not.) My grandmother also gifted me her old Cuisinart food processor. It’s older than I am but in nearly perfect condition, and that means that I FINALLY have a food processor! Homemade hummus, I’m looking at you! And my first kitchen purchase? A slow-cooker. Yup. Finally. Ah, all the glorious things I can make in there…

Yet somehow, amidst all the madness, I managed to finally perfect something I’ve been contemplating for ages–a delicious, but healthy, mayonnaise-free chicken salad.

Wait…did you just say mayo-less chicken salad? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Well, no. And it’s just as delicious as the mayo-y kind!

My substitute? A combo of creamy, thick Greek yogurt and guacamole. Yup. I didn’t want to use all yogurt for fear of the chicken salad tasting too tangy and yogurt-y. I didn’t want to use all guac, either, for fear of it being too thin and the flavor too overpowering. But together, they create magic.

Now, I took a lot of shortcuts here, but you can obviously start from scratch. I used Wholly Guacamole’s Salsa Guac, but of course you can make your own guacamole to start. I also used a store-bought roasted chicken and frozen pre-grilled chicken strips, but of course you can use any fresh or leftover chicken you have on hand.

I chopped up apples and celery into my chicken salad and added a heaping handful of broccoli slaw, as well. But play with it! I used what I had on hand, but other great additions are: raisins, Craisins or any dried berry; chopped almonds, walnuts or pecans; chopped pickles; chopped cucumber, carrots, broccoli or any crunch veggie; avocado; grapes…really, the additions are endless–go to town!

Making the chicken salad is as simple as could be, and this is, quite literally, a totally guilt-free chicken salad. None of that gloppy mayo mess you’re used to.

Mix chopped chicken with one part Greek yogurt and one part guacamole, add whatever your heart desires, mix and serve alone, on lettuce, or on 100% whole-grain bread topped with mustard, lettuce, pickles, tomato, cheese…whatever you like. Enjoy! (And have seconds…harm here!)

My fridge has been lacking in the produce lately, so I was very glad when I had a half day at work last week and Kevin and I could hit the farmer’s markets. He only needed to get corn for dinner that night, but I walked away with a far more impressive haul:

We made our rounds. We started at Sickle’s Market, a part garden center, part farmer’s market and part general store. It’s a year-round place, with the majority of the produce and groceries indoors, but the quality and selection is more akin to a good farmer’s market than a supermarket.

Anyway, everywhere I turned I found something else I had to have. It’s a miracle I only walked away with what I did.

I ended up walking away with a bunch of kale (meant to make kale chips, but that didn’t go quite as planned–more on that later), five nectarines, a quart of Jersey-fresh blueberries and half a watermelon. There was also an almond croissant in there that didn’t make it through the car ride home. (Don’t judge.)

We also hit a small, local produce stand, Trader Joe’s and Wegman’s, where I grabbed a couple of avocados so I could make more of this before leaving on vacation.

Over the weekend, I also got a goody bag of home-grown tomatoes and cucumbers from a friend of mine. She’s been growing them in her yard and had more than she knew what to do with, so I gladly volunteered to take some of that pesky produce off her hands. Then I realized I don’t know what to do with five tomatoes and four cucumbers either. So I’ve been eating a lot of tomato, mozzarella and basil salad and drinking tons of cucumber-lemon water. I’m not complaining.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Kevin did get the fresh Jersey corn he was looking for–and it was delicious! It was so sweet it didn’t even need butter. Just boiled with some salt, and I could’ve eaten all six ears! Also, I forgot how much fun it can be to shuck corn. (I can’t believe I just said that.)

Speaking of vacation, (I spoke of it somewhere, I’m sure…) I’m getting pretty stoked to go to Disney World in two days! (Yup, I’m a child. Whatever. Happiest place on Earth, man.) Anyway, I’ve been compiling a list of certain things I want to try to do while I’m down there this time around. It’s a little lopsided though:

Yup, my Things I want to eat list is far longer than my Things I want to do list, especially since some of the things I want to do a really food-related anyway. Really, though, is anyone even surprised? I’ll be lucky if they’re not rolling me out of the parks. The saddest part is there is literally, like, one healthy thing on that food list, and that’s the AK egg roll stand (really!) because I want to go there for their veggie spring rolls, Asian noodle salad and fruit salad.

What? I’m on vacation. Don’t judge.

Well, not quite yet. Right now, I’m still at work, eating avocado-black bean salsa and wishing I was already in sunny Florida. (New Jersey’s a bit cloudy today…)

It’s August, which means there’s still a month or so of summer left (almost two, technically) and still plenty of grilling and barbecue opportunities. Also, it means we’re coming into the hottest days of the year, and hot, heavy food just doesn’t always sound so appealing. Sometimes, in the East Coast heat, I just want a cool and refreshing snack or light meal that will leave me satisfied but not weighed down. And that, folks, is how I got my avocado-black bean salsa.

I made this stuff on a whim one night after I bought ripe Haas avocados and some canned black beans. Served with some super-addictive Trader Joe’s plantain chips, I couldn’t put this stuff down! I ate it for dinner, a late-night snack AND lunch the next day!

It’s the perfect summer snack and an awesome side dish to bring to your next barbecue–a fun and nutritious way to mix it up from regular salsa or mayo-laden picnic salads.

Seriously, make this salsa and you’ll never want to stop! It will become a staple for your summer, for sure!

One thing I’d like to note: I always look for no salt added canned beans–they’re much more convenient than dried beans, but canned beans are notorious for their sodium content. Rienzi sells all sorts of no salt added beans, which I love, so my pantry’s stocked with black beans, cannellini (white) beans and chickpeas. I still rinse the beans, though, to get off any extra salt and to improve the texture (they’re still canned in liquid, so they are a little slimy otherwise.) By rinsing them, it also allows me to almost completely control the amount of salt that goes into my food.

Mix the first five ingredients together, being careful not to overly mash the avocado. Mix in lime juice, and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Serve with veggies, tortilla chips, plantain chips or use as a topping for, well, anything you want! (This would go great over salad greens, steak, grilled chicken, burgers, you name it!)

This is so fast and so easy, and it brings a bounty of veggies and a healthy dose of protein and fiber to the party!

Sometimes I try new things and they don’t always work. Sometimes that means utter, throw it in the trash failure, and sometimes that means it came out okay, but not great. This is a story of the latter.

I had seen this recipe for white bean mac and cheese a while back and decided to tackle something similar. I was craving the ooey-gooeyness of mac and cheese but didn’t want to go completely off track, health-wise, so this seemed like the perfect compromise.

I didn’t have a whole lot of any one kind of cheese in my fridge, but I had a lot of different kinds of cheese, so I just ran with it. At the time, I though using about a tablespoon of cottage cheese would be a good idea to help get a creamy consistency. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that cottage cheese doesn’t really melt. It stays kind of chunky and clumpy, which is sort of off-putting in a cheese sauce. So, if I were to attempt this again (and I plan to!), I’d probably go with a tablespoon of cream cheese over the cottage cheese to ensure that creaminess is there.

Another mistake I learned from: garlic burns. Fast. And it makes your house smell. Brown garlic (as in burned) smells even stronger than just the regular cooked stuff. And it doesn’t make the other people in your house happy. Also, the flavor is INTENSE. Like, whoa baby, that’s garlic intense. (I contemplated throwing it out and starting over after burning the garlic, but since it was just brown and not completely charred, I decided to go with it. Next time, lightly cooked garlic or bust.)

So, yes, the final product was a bit too garlicky for my taste, and sort of a strange, overcooked garlic flavor. Also, I was probably a bit overzealous in my use of the white bean puree–I didn’t mind it, but the sauce was a bit grittier than a normal cheese sauce from the beans. If you want to hide the white beans and get more of a traditionally smooth cheese sauce, go with less puree. But, still, I could see the real potential in this dish, and so I still want to share it with you, with some adaptations to the recipe based on what I learned.

1. Boil the pasta in a large saucepan with a tablespoon of olive oil to prevent sticking. When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain and set aside. While the pasta boils, puree the white beans with a little bit of water or oil, if necessary, to get a smooth consistency.
2. In the same saucepan, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook through (until still white, not dark brown!)
3. Add the butter, let it melt, and mix in the flour to create a roux.
4. Once incorporated, add the milk and let it simmer and heat through. Add the cream cheese and stir it into the milk sauce until it melts.
5. Add the white bean puree, 1 tablespoon at a time, and stir to incorporate into the sauce.
6. Add each cheese, one at a time, and stir until melted. (Eyeball this–if you need more or less, adjust to that. And taste along the way!)
7. Add a few sprinkles of mustard and paprika, to taste. Grind in the black pepper, to taste.
8. When the sauce is smooth and reaches the desired consistency, add the pasta back to the pot and stir well to coat. Add more seasonings, if necessary.
9. Turn the oven on to Broil. Pour the macaroni and cheese into a baking dish or into individual ramekins and top with more grated Parmesan and paprika.
10. Broil macaroni and cheese for 3-8 minutes or until the Parmesan topping begins to bubble. Remove and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

This recipe is great to just lighten up and healthify regular mac and cheese, but it’s also great for kids! You can sneak this white bean puree into their favorite dish and they won’t even know it’s there! Instant fiber, protein and vitamins–and they’re not the wiser! Ha!

This is also a great no-bake cheat to still create that baked macaroni and cheese flavor. The Parmesan topping gets nice and crispy while the pasta inside stays super creamy and cheesy. I’ve never made a baked-style mac and cheese before–I’ve always made it with a cheese sauce and let it be, like a homemade version of the boxed stuff. But this time around, I wanted to try that baked casserole-style without actually baking it. Broiling it for a few minutes was a quick way to achieve that without actually sitting around and waiting for it to bake. (Cause I’m hungry!) And you know what? Yes, the burned garlic was a bit overwhelming. But with the crispy cheese topping and the ooey-gooey inside, this was still pretty darn delicious! Nothing beats a good mac and cheese, and the addition of white beans and skim milk instead of whole milk or cream makes this (almost) guilt-free!

We all have those snacks and meals that we keep coming back to again and again because they’re basically perfect. My latest greatest go-to is a smoothie. Well, all kinds of smoothies, really. They’re versatile, quick, healthy and filling. Really, it’s a perfect snack, breakfast or light meal.

You can put pretty much anything your heart desires into a smoothie, but I have some basics that I always keep on hand–frozen bananas, frozen berries and plain Greek yogurt. (Vanilla or fruit-flavored works too, so does regular yogurt. I’ll use whatever I have at the time, but I try to keep some plain Greek yogurt around when I can.)

Fresh fruit’s great, but it’s hard to find year-round. Plus, frozen fruit eliminates the need to add ice to your smoothie, which streamlines the process (it’s all about efficiency, people!) I like using frozen bananas especially, because they give an icy, creamy texture to smoothies. I keep my freezer stocked whenever I buy bananas–inevitably, I never finish the bunch before they start to turn, so when it looks like they’re starting to go bad, I cut them up and freeze them in plastic bags. I also do this with leftover banana halves after I use them in cereal, oatmeal, etc. if I don’t want to finish them.

I’ve been so busy lately, running from work to rehearsal with little time for dinner in between. So smoothies have become even more of a go-to for me lately. I whip one up and get some protein, carbs, fiber and vitamins all in one! Plus, it’s light enough that I can go dance and not feel weighed down.

You’d think I’d get sick of the same thing all the time, but that could only happen if I had the same thing all the time. Smoothies are so versatile, I mix it up each time. Two of my favorites: a chocolate power shake and a pb & j smoothie.

I use my bullet blender to make smoothies, which makes it even quicker! (And means less clean-up! Just one cup.)

Both of these use a base of plain Greek yogurt and frozen bananas. For the chocolate power shake, brew 6-8 oz. of strong coffee and let it cool (you can add ice to speed this along.) To the Greek yogurt and bananas, add about a tablespoon of chocolate syrup (Hershey’s and Fox’s U-bet are my favorites), a tablespoon or two of natural almond butter (I use Trader Joes’ brand) and the cooled coffee. Blend until smooth.

You get a great mix of protein from the yogurt and the almond butter, sugar and carbs from the chocolate and caffeine from the coffee. This is the kind of smoothie I make when I need a real pick-me-up after a long day of work or before a grueling rehearsal or workout. The almond butter-chocolate-coffee combo may sound a little weird at first, but it’s sort of like an amaretto coffee. The almond butter actually has a very light flavor and doesn’t come through very strongly through the chocolate and the coffee.

The pb & j smoothie really tastes just like peanut butter and jelly! Start again with the Greek yogurt and banana base. Add whatever fresh or frozen berries you like–my favorite are blueberries and strawberries. Add one to two tablespoons of natural peanut butter (again, I use TJ’s. I go for salted, but unsalted would work well, too) and blend with skim milk until smooth.

Antioxidants, vitamins and protein, and it tastes like childhood! With the protein from the yogurt and peanut butter, the fiber from the fruit and a little natural fat, this smoothie can really keep you satisfied for quite a while.

The best part about making smoothies at home? It’s so quick, easy and cheap! It saves a whole lot of money over going to those smoothie shops in the mall, plus you have complete control over what you put in it. Vegan? Try silken tofu and almond or soy milk. Or just fruit–frozen bananas puree into a soft-serve like consistency. Let your mind wander!

All this writing about smoothies has really gotten me craving one now. I think there’s a nice fruit smoothie in my future! (Sometimes just a straight yogurt, fruit, juice combo is perfect, too!) Or maybe a bit of extra nut butter protein to power me through a late rehearsal tonight. I’ll never get sick of these things.

OK, so my first attempt at The Great Leftover Challenge resulted in something that looked only slightly better than dog food. That wasn’t going to get me anywhere (or whet anyone’s appetites, for that matter), so it was time for take two!

By this time I was really running out of food. I still am. (Seriously, I’ve been awful about going to the grocery store.) But I had some fruits and veggies that had been sitting around for a little while and I wanted to use them up before they went bad. I also wanted something light, a departure from the heavy, meatloaf-laced semi-disaster that was my first attempt.

So, for my second try at the leftover challenge, I made “pantry” salad lettuce cups with homemade dressing. I’ve never made my own dressing before, but it’s so, so simple!

The dressing and the salad came only from things I’ve already opened/used, so it was truly a leftovers meal. I opened nothing new to make anything.

The dressing is super-quick and easy and takes about a minute to make. I thought, honestly, though, that it was a bit too acidic, so I’ve adjusted the recipe to what I think would make it work better:

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce (I always use the low-sodium kind)
1 1/2-2 tbsp oil (I used extra virgin olive oil, but a lighter oil would work better. I also only used 1 tbsp, but some extra may be necessary to cut down on the acidity.)
1 tsp lime juice (I used 1 1/2 but, like I said, it ended up too acidic.)
1 1/4 tsp whole grain mustard
Drizzle of agave nectar or honey

Whisk the vinegar, soy sauce and lime juice together in a bowl. Add the mustard and whisk in. Drizzle in the oil while whisking into the dressing to incorporate. Add some agave or honey to sweeten to taste.

Dressing

I poured this dressing over my “pantry” salad cups, which sounds like what it is: a salad made up of whatever I found in my fridge and pantry. This can be anything you want to add or have sitting around: fruit, vegetables, cheese, nuts, dried fruit, etc. My salad had the following:

This is probably not the most creative thing that will come through the leftover challenge, but I was, admittedly, a bit creatively challenged this time–mainly just hungry. But if nothing else, it is still a good way to use up produce on the verge of going bad. Also, making my own dressing is so quick and easy that I’m going to start doing this more often. I love knowing exactly what’s going into my food, unlike a lot of the bottled dressings that are riddled with sugar and chemicals.

Danny’s Kitchen is hosting the Great Leftover Challenge and there are still two days left to participate! If you are creative with leftovers, check out his blog to enter the challenge!

This has the potential to be some good news out of the candy world: Mars, Inc. will stop selling chocolate with more than 250 calories by the end of the year, according to Reuters and the Huffington Post.

Mars, Inc. makes many chocolate-coated favorites like M&Ms, Twix and Snickers bars. Personally, I think this may be great news because, frankly, I love Snickers bars (who doesn’t really?) And if I can get a Snickers for fewer calories, then that’s great.

Now, only time will tell how this will play out. Will Mars actually start changing its recipes and formulas, or is this really just another “smaller portion, same price” scenario in disguise? (Unfortunately that has been quite a popular money-saving trend for food producers as of late, and that unfortunately seems to be the route Mars is going based on other news stories [see below].)

But a change is a change, and any nutritionally-driven change is good news. So, for now, I say +1 for Mars. Way to go!

According to the Snickers Web site, a Snickers bar is currently 280 calories with 14g of fat (5g saturated) and 30g of sugar.

Image via Wikipedia

Two Twix bars (or one package) has 250 calories, 12g of fat (9g saturated) and 24g of sugar, according to the Mars Healthy Living Web site.

Interestingly, the 3 Musketeers bar, so often marketed as a “light” and seemingly healthier alternative to other chocolate bars, clocks in at 260 calories, 8g fat (5g saturated) and a whopping 40g of sugar, according to the same site. You’re better off with the Twix.

Now, if Mars can get more than calories down we’d really be talking. (5 grams of saturated fat and 40 grams of sugar in a “light” candy bar?!) But this is definitely a step in the right direction, and hopefully the rest (and other companies) will follow suit.

A new survey of 100,000 diners from research firm Sandleman and Associates names the top ten fast food restaurants, ranked in order of customer favorites. The top four results are undoubtedly healthier options than what most of us think of when we say “fast food:”

4. Jersey Mike’s Subs
3. Chipotle
2. Panera
1. Chik-fil-A

Chick-Fil-A (Photo credit: Link576)

While not entirely virtuous, these chains (and similar ones) are known for healthier food options (subs; fresh food; salads; sandwiches; grilled chicken; vegetables; organic, natural foods). It’s a promising turn in American fast food society to see these new “favorites” over the old standbys of McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC and the like. (None of those were on the list, by the way.)

To see the full top ten list, check out the full article on Huffington Post Food:

While I’m somewhat of a foodie, in my day-to-day life I do try to keep a heavy emphasis on nutrition, but I’m not a dieter. I simply try to lead a healthy lifestyle, eating the healthiest foods I can and making healthy swaps, like the ones frequently highlighted in Eat This, Not That.

Eat This, Not That is the brainchild of the editor-in-chief of Men’s Health and Women’s Health, Dave Zinczenko. In addition to the Web site, Zinczenko has written several books, as well as multiple variations including Cook This, Not That and Drink This, Not That.

Zinczenko takes an unconventional, but simple approach to weight loss and healthy eating:

” Smart weight loss isn’t about starving yourself, or eating only grapefruit and tofu, or running everything you eat through a juicer (which really ruins the pizza experience, by the way). The smart path to weight loss is about smart choices—choices you make every day. With Eat This, Not That!, those choices just got easier…

A diet only works if you have control over what, how, and when you’re eating. And as you well know, most of the time, you don’t have control. Sure, you can cook your own dinner. You can brown-bag your own lunch. You can spoon yourself some yogurt in the morning and eat a healthy snack before bedtime. (And yes, there ARE healthy and delicious snacks to eat before bedtime.) But you can’t control what’s on offer at the office cafeteria (unless you own the company), or what’s being served at Mom’s house for Thanksgiving (unless you’re Mom). And you can’t stand in the kitchen at Olive Garden or Mickey D’s and tell the chef to go easier on the vegetable oil, either.”

Eat This, Not That offers food and beverage swaps for restaurant chains all over the country to help provide healthier eating options without complete deprivation. It is the self-proclaimed “No-diet diet,” and that sounds good to me.

I’m somewhat in love with Eat This, Not That and its variations, and I read Zinczenko’s tips by the Twitter feed-full. Besides the basic swaps, he offers health and nutrition advice, like the more broad, lifestyle-driven “20 Habits Skinny People Live By” and its counterpart, “20 Habits That Make You Fat.” While I don’t agree with everything he says, (for instance, skinny habit number three is to “eat a boring diet,” but I wholeheartedly believe healthy does not have to equal boring. After all, variety is the spice of life.) his overall advice is great and focuses more on small, manageable lifestyle changes rather than strict, impossible-to-stick-to diets. He takes the healthier, more long-lasting approach of eating an overall (relatively) healthy diet rather than get-thin-quick fad diets.

Besides, any “diet” than encourages eating dessert is a-O.K. in my book.

Zinczenko acknowledges that one habit that promotes weight loss is regularly reading nutrition and fitness tips. So follow him on Twitter and follow Eat This, Not That. Consider that step one. That was easy.